Twenty-six students met with communications professionals and Elon University alumni, receiving a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of several media organizations.

​The School of Communications first-year Fellows traveled to Atlanta during the last weekend of October to network with and learn from media professionals, including several Elon alumni.

The Elon contingent visited the set of “On the Story with Erica Hill,” a CNN daytime news program hosted by veteran TV anchor and journalist Erica Hill.

​During the group’s first day in the Atlanta metropolitan area, Assistant Professors David Bockino and Alex Luchsinger divided the 26 Fellows into two groups according to their personal and professional interests.

Communications Fellows interested in strategic communications visited Jackson Spalding, one of the largest independent communications firms in the Southeast.

​Bockino and 14 students interested in strategic communications visited Jackson Spalding, a marketing communications agency, and received a tour from Elon alumna Jennifer Tucci ’09, G’12. Tucci serves as an event lead and project manager, overseeing large-scale events for companies like Toyota. In the afternoon, the Elon contingent visited MSL, a public relations agency with offices in 36 countries and more than 3,000 employees worldwide.

During their tour of SunTrust Park, the new Atlanta Braves stadium, the Fellows gathered for a photo on the stadium’s concourse.

​At the same time, Luchsinger led a dozen students interested in journalism on a tour of cable news outlet CNN and met with Ben Kaiser ’91, manager of distribution for CNN NewSource. The students later visited ABC affiliate WSB-TV.

The following day the groups reunited for a behind-the-scenes tour of the new Atlanta Braves stadium, SunTrust Park. Led by Cameron Carter, the MLB franchise’s assistant production manager, students were granted access to the press room and control room, as well as other areas of the year-old ballpark.

​​“Our annual trip to Atlanta is a great way to get our first-year Fellows off campus and to show them what’s it like to work at some of the most well-known communications companies in the country,” said Bockino, who serves as the Communications Fellows program director. “While many of our first-year students know they want to work in communications, they don’t know in what capacity just yet. Exposing them to these different companies is a great way to sharpen their focus and to get them thinking about their own careers.”